


I'm a phone call away

by glumish



Category: Misao (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, also content warning for rape and homophobia (nothing explicit or too violent), also: i'm keeping chapter 5 as the official ending until i think of something better, au where misao doesn't die and she actually becomes friends w aki, i also incorporated aspects of the novelization / definitive version, i.e. everyone's full names / the different uniforms / modern-ish setting, nice girl? calls people out? emotionally unattached? partially a demon?, sen my man... what are you doing, that's all she wrote my man, the hardest part about writing this was trying to keep aki's canon personality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-11 00:01:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15302967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glumish/pseuds/glumish
Summary: content warning: rape (nothing explicit; the scene starts after the assault)





	1. Chapter 1

Aki knew she should turn her back and walk away; the last person who tried to tell Yoshino what to do ended up in the hospital for two days. She should've left the classroom. She should've picked up her bag and left, ignoring what was happening eight feet away from her. It wasn't her problem. If she wasn't involved with it, then it wasn't her problem.

That's what Aki tried to tell herself, anyway. She knew she was scared of what Yoshino would to do her if she ever tried to stand up for herself. It was because of that that she bore the merciless taunting and public humiliation from the pink-haired girl until it was over.

She quietly gathered her textbooks and tucked them into her bookbag, getting to her feet. She kept towards the walls of the classroom, and as she passed Misao's desk, she said, "That's enough, Kazuki." Without waiting for a response, she exited the room, hurrying towards the gym.

♡

During her walk to school the next day, she passed Misao. The purple-haired girl reached for her wrist, whispering a soft "thank you". Aki paused.

"Can I see your phone for a moment?" she asked. Misao's eyes widened in surprise, and nodded, dumbfounded. Aki's thumbs brushed against the cracked screen, tapping her phone number into the smaller girl's contacts list. She handed it back to her classmate. "Call me if you need to talk."

Misao struggled to find a response, but could only nod, any words of gratitude locked in her throat. She placed her phone back in the pocket of her skirt and fell in step with the redheaded girl, listening to her talk. It was clearly an attempt to make small talk; an attempt to awkwardly start a friendship.

"This weather is starting to get on my nerves," Aki complained tugging at the collar of her button-up. "Even worse, the coach is trying to push us to practice for even longer."

"You play baseball, right?" Misao's voice was soft and subdued in contrast to Aki's even but upbeat intonation.

"You say it like I'm a professional. It's honestly just something I do for fun." Aki quietly laughed to herself. The conversation ended at that, and the two continued their walk to school. The lush shade above them did little to shield them from the spiking heat and the buzz of the cicadas.

Misao felt like a miracle had swooped down upon her. Aki Narukami, _the_ Aki Narukami had defended her the prior day, and even gave her her phone number. The redheaded girl was fairly well-liked; though her grades weren't exactly the top of her class, she was remarkably attractive, got along with her peers, and was regarded as a nice girl.

Misao felt that today would be a little more tolerable.

♡

The first text was from Misao; it was an accident, as she meant to ask Tohma if he knew how to do the essay assigned by their history teacher, but she accidentally sent it to Aki instead. Before she could apologize, Aki responded.

_16:21 - Narukami_  
_I didn't pay attention to the lecture LOL_

_16:22_  
_Is there something on your mind?_

_16:22 - Narukami_  
_Nothing in particular_  
_our history teacher just bores me to tears （；¬＿¬)_

Misao couldn't help but smile.

_16:23 - Narukami_  
_Sorry I had to leave early_  
_did Kazuki harass you while I was gone?_

_16:24_  
_She looked like she wanted to tell me something, but decided against it. I know she's bullied you in the past. It must've taken a lot of courage to stand up to her._

_16:24 - Narukami_  
_It was kind of scary if I can be honest_

_16:25_  
_Again, thank you._

♡

"Honestly, how are you into that stuff?" Ayaka asked, sitting on Aki's desk. Aki kept her gaze focused on the window by her seat. "And the hours you spend during practice! How do you get your homework done?"

"I don't spend my time stalking my crush."

"Well, I _need_ to know if he's seeing someone right now!"

"You are a minor."

"So? He's a stud! He's nice and smart, and..."

A long, drawn-out sigh from Aki coupled with an exasperated look ended the conversation. Ayaka got to her feet and Misao quickly turned her attention back to her textbook. It was one of the thousands of conversations she had eavesdropped on before. Misao slid her phone into the space under her desk.

_07:23_  
_Do you have practice today?_

_07:23 - Narukami_  
_No_

_07:24_  
_Do you want to go somewhere after school?_

_07:24 - Narukami_  
_Like where_

_07:25_  
_We could get street food or go see a movie af_

Yoshino slammed the door open and walked in before Misao could finish her thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aki put her phone away. "Listen up, everybody! I got big news!" Yoshino announced, a sickeningly familiar smirk on her face. Misao felt like vomiting. "I think you'll agree this one's a riot!"

"What now, Yoshino?" called Tohma. "Cut the crap and tell us."

Yoshino snickered and rested a hand on the desk in front of her, pausing for dramatic effect. "One of the girls here has a crush on Tohma."

"Are you confessing to me?"

The jab brought a rally of snickers from their classmates. Misao glanced at Aki, who seemed completely unimpressed with how the conversation was going. After a snarky remark from Yoshino, the pink-haired girl started walking towards Misao and rested her hands on the smaller girl's shoulders.

"It's none other than the simple girl who never stands out," she said. "It's Misao!"

Aki's expression fell into something that couldn't quite be described. _Disappointment? Surprise? Sadness?_ It was overshadowed by the rising clamor of their classmates.

"Look," Yoshino continued, the smarmy grin never leaving her face, "Tohma's right there! Confess your love to him!"

It was when Tohma admitted that he felt the same that Aki dashed out of the classroom. When she later returned, her face was flushed and her cheeks were tear-stained. She apologized to the teacher for being late and came up with a lame excuse of not feeling well before taking her seat. Misao brought out her phone.

_08:04_  
_Are you okay?_

_08:05 - Narukami_  
_I'm fine_

_08:06_  
_You seemed really upset earlier. Did you also like Tohma?_

_08:06 - Narukami_  
_No it's not that_  
_I've honestly been interested in someone else. It's just... Tohma? Really? LOL I thought you'd be into Kudoh_

_08:07_  
_Mamoru's nice, but he's like a brother to me._

_08:07 - Narukami_  
_I didn't think you were that close_  
_also I'll have to cancel on today's plans. I kind of just want to go home and lay in my bed for the rest of today_

Aki took off during lunch break, her bag slung over her shoulder. Even her friends seemed confused when she didn't come back later that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: rape (nothing explicit; the scene starts after the assault)

Aki's first instinct was to rip down the bulletin. Her shoulders trembled with anger and she reached for the paper, tearing it away from the tacks and crumpling it up. _God_ , the nerve of Yoshino and her lackeys. She threw it towards the nearest waste bin, making sure her aim was precise, and darted into her classroom, alarmed to see that only Tohma and another classmate were there. "Tohma," Aki said, her eyes narrowed, "do you know where Misao is?"

"Eh? I haven't seen her all day, Aki." The girl sitting on his desk snickered.

"We haven't seen her at all!" she chimed in. Aki opened her mouth to make a retort ( _I feel bad for you, Saotome._ ), but decided against it and walked out, slamming the door behind her. A split second later, the faint echo of a punch caught her attention. She half-jogged to the nearest bathroom, pushing past a crowd of students beginning to form around the doorway.

Misao was backed against the corner of the restroom, bruises lining her jaw and tears in her eyes. Yoshino's back was turned to Aki, a couple of girls at her side. The redheaded girl clenched her fist and tried to steady herself. "Kazuki," she began, taking a step towards the taller girl, "leave her alone."

Yoshino turned around, her amber eyes narrowed, a sneer on her face. "Excuse me?" she said.

"Leave her alone."

A beat of silence passed, tension settling over the room. Misao quietly walked towards the other corner of the room, her back against the wall, and darted out of the bathroom like a frightened deer. Yoshino paused, carefully considering her options, and walked out, shoving Aki towards the sinks on her way out. Aki clenched her teeth and hissed out a sigh, turning on her heel.

_07:12_   
_Are you okay ???_

_07:12 - Misao_   
_I'm fine. I ran to the nurse's office._

_07:13_   
_N/o but you looked awful_   
_you sure you're okay?_

_07:13 - Misao_   
_It's just a few bruises. It's not as bad as it could've been._

♡

Misao wanted to vomit. There was nothing more she wanted to do than empty the contents of her stomach in the toilet next to her. She reached for her clothes with a pale, shaky hand, hastily pulling them towards her. She felt humiliated. She felt beyond degraded. Not once did she believe that Yoshino would be so cruel to do this. A choked sob locked in her throat and she quietly put on her clothes, walking out of the bathroom stall with her phone tightly clutched in her hand. She raised it to her ear, the cracked glass pressing against her cheek.

Aki picked up the phone after the first ring.

_"Misao?"_

"Naruka -- kami," Misao sobbed, her quick footsteps rushing down a flight of stairs.

_"Misao, what's wrong?"_

"Y-Y-Yoshino, she -- God, I need to get to a hospital."

Misao could hear the sound of textbooks clattering to the floor and a loud thud, followed by a hiss of pain. _"What did she do to you? Hang on, I'm coming!"_

"Narukami, wait!"

She heard the sound of a door slamming open and shut before the line went dead. Misao kept her phone in a tight grip and rushed outside of the school, anxiety weighing heavy on her shoulders. The sky was beginning to dull into bright reds and oranges, the sun hidden beyond dark leaves. She heard the faint sounds of someone's heels slamming against the pavement and the crunch of leaves, followed by an all-too familiar voice calling for her. Aki rounded the corner and faced the shorter girl, her hair disheveled, eyes wide in alarm. She reached for Misao, carefully inspecting her face for bruises or cuts. "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

Misao flinched at the touch, drawing away from the redhead. "It's..." She sighed and pulled out her phone. "I don't think I can say it." Aki's phone buzzed.

_14:23 - Misao_   
_Yoshino paid a student to rape me and blackmailed me._

Aki's face paled, her eyes wide in shock. A soft "oh my God" escaped her lips. "I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

♡

Misao didn't come to school for the following week. Aki couldn't find the courage to face Yoshino after what she had done; just looking at her was enough to make bile rise in her throat and her stomach churn. If she could've gotten away with it, she would've taken her baseball bat and smashed her skull in the night that Misao was admitted into the hospital.

_Breathe._

She pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyes shut. The back of her head throbbed with an oncoming migraine. She wasn't the type to get emotional, much less irrational, but what happened to her friend elicited an odd anger that she tried to keep under wraps.

_Keep it together._

Perhaps she should've excused herself and spent the class period in the library to cool down. Mr. Sohta's lecture only made her angrier ( _you're supposed to protect your students, for God's sake._ ) and seeing Yoshino nod off in class again, seeing Tohma and Haruna exchange glances as if Misao was never in the picture, seeing Kudoh stare blankly at the blackboard as if he wasn't the slightest bit concerned for her well-being --

For the first time, Aki walked out of class. She just grabbed her book bag, slung it over her shoulder, and left without a single word. She walked down the flight of stairs, past the front doors, past the gates, and started walking towards Misao's house.

She was tired. The fact that everyone turned a blind eye to what Yoshino did when a teacher wasn't around was... awful. Vile. Horrifying. Something indescribably disgusting.

She rapped her knuckles against Misao's front door in quick succession, followed by a quick ring of the doorbell. She paused ( _please don't panic_ ) and knocked on the door again. "Misao!" she yelled. "It's me, Aki! Will you please open the door?"

Another pause. Aki raised her fist again when she heard the lock click and the door squeaked open.

Misao looked absolutely miserable. Her typically straight, throughly-combed hair was a disheveled mess; dark bags had begun to take residence under her dull eyes; a large, baggy sweatshirt covered her pale frame. She looked like she had barely slept or showered since she was attacked. Aki's face fell. 

"Oh, Misao..." she whispered, stepping into the dim foyer. She extended her arms in an invitation of a hug and Misao tightly wrapped her arms around the redhead's frame, pressing her cheek against her chest. A sob wracked her body. Aki threaded her fingers through the smaller girl's dark hair and held her close. "It's okay," she mumbled, "I'm here."

Misao tightly clutched the back of Aki's blazer, the red cotton crumpling in her hands. Despite the whirlwind of emotions, Aki was the one anchor she had in her life, and she held to her as though she was all she had left. Having her heart toyed with; her texts leaked as a sick joke; being blackmailed and forced to take Yoshino's smarmy grin and what torture she came up with.

Aki _was_ all she had left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: i'm not making this a murder fic  
> also me: aki canonically hated yoshino to the point of feeling no remorse after her death

Aki didn't intend to stay as long as she had; she ended up calling her mother and asking her approval for staying at Misao's house overnight. An awkward meeting with the purple-haired girl's parents ensued and Aki tried her best to make a good first impression, despite her wrinkled uniform and her slightly messy hair.

Misao's room was neat and tidy, with perfectly shelved textbooks and dusted tables. The only thing in disarray was her bed, with crumpled sheets and pillows strewn about. Aki was almost certain that this was the first time the shorter girl had left her bed all day. She sat on the edge of the bed, resting her bag on the floor beside her. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room; neither of them knew what to say.

Aki cleared her throat. "Is there a futon I can use for tonight?"

"Oh, Narukami, you can sleep in my bed. I'll take the futon."

"I can't do that."

The conversation continued as such, a ping-pong game of "I'll sleep on the futon", "no, _I'll_ sleep on the futon". The idea of them sharing a bed was out of the question; given the recent events, Aki couldn't bear to do anything that might make her friend uncomfortable ( _besides, we're both girls_ ). The conversation eventually ended when they realized that it wouldn't come to a satisfactory conclusion. A beat of silence passed, and Misao finally spoke.

"I guess we'll both take the bed," she shyly said. Aki's shoulders stiffened.

"Misao, you don't have to do that."

"No, I'm fine with it, really." She faintly smiled. 

Any protests the redheaded girl had left were left unspoken. She reached for her bag, digging for the small case that held her contact lenses. "The last time I fell asleep wearing contacts," she said, a faint smile on her face, "it took me at least a week to get another pair."

"Do you have poor eyesight?"

"Well, not exactly." Aki shut the case and turned back to Misao, a scarlet gaze examining the smaller girl's face. The shorter of the two paused, unsure of what to say. She cleared her throat, shifting her eyes to the corner of the room. Her pale cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

"Narukami?" she finally said, her voice low.

"You can call me Aki, you know."

"Aki?"

"Yeah?"

"You have pretty eyes."

Aki could only blush and smile at the compliment.

♡

The walk to school was as uneventful as usual; the two spent their time in a peaceful silence, content smiles on their face as they walked to the gates of the school. As they walked towards their homeroom, Yoshino passed them, and Aki paused. She turned to her companion, a faint smile on her face. "Hey, Misao, I'm going to take my bat back to the equipment room, okay? I'll be back before class starts."

Misao was about to protest, but Aki was already going through her locker, pulling out her wooden bat and leaving. The purple-haired girl quietly took her seat, patiently waiting for class to begin. Nobody commented on her return.

Yoshino soon returned to the class, her face pale and her eyes wide in alarm. She flinched when Aki entered the room, but not a single word was shared between the two. The redheaded girl's expression was as cheery as ever.

For once, Misao wasn't harassed.

The lecture was as uneventful as ever and the day was as ordinary as ever. The only difference was that Misao was completely ignored by her peers, save for Aki. As sad as it was to say, it was the most peaceful day the meek girl had known since she started high school.

The status quo had yet to resume, but she was alright with that.

Yoshino had made it a point that she was purposely avoiding them. Misao was used to this sort of treatment from Kudoh, perhaps, but this was something she never would have seen coming from the pink-haired girl (she should've learned to stop expecting things from her). Aki, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by this sudden development, much to her friend's confusion.

"Aki?" Misao had asked. "Do you know why Yoshino's avoiding us?"

The redheaded girl picked at part of her lunch before responding with, "Whatever the reason, I don't really care." It was a subtle evasion that Misao chose to ignore. While the redheaded girl was one of the few people who openly argued with Yoshino, Misao doubted that she had any direct involvement with the delinquent's behavior.

Something about Aki's behavior still unnerved her.

♡

The two began spending the lunch period in the music room. Aki used the time to practice playing the piano ("I didn't know you played the piano," her friend had said. The redheaded girl only sheepishly smiled in response.) and Misao enjoyed the peace and solitude they got. It was rare for them to be interrupted; the only people who would come into the room were either a member of the light music club or a teacher. For a brief moment, the two forgot the troubles that plagued the back of their minds and weighed them down.

In the music room, the world outside didn't exist for them; it was just Misao, Aki, and the same song that was practiced every day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: homophobia (nothing violent)  
> press f to pay respects

The tension in class 2-C came to a head early that winter when Yoshino rushed into the room with her typical vigor. An unnerving, all-too familiar expression was on her face with a smarmy grin and wide eyes. She knew something. She _knew_ something and whatever it was made everyone's stomachs drop. She paused, her eyes scanning the room, lingering a moment on Aki. The redheaded girl felt her palms begin to sweat. _Not again_ , she thought, _for the love of God, not this again._

Yoshino started a long, confident stride towards her desk, resting her hand on Aki's textbooks.

"Everyone," the pink-haired girl began, her smile never fading, "I've made a huge discovery!"

"Hurry up and get on with it!" Tohma's voice. A round of giggles from their classmates.

Aki almost flinched when she felt the taller girl rest her hand on her shoulder. Almost. "Aki Narukami is certainly the idol of our class, right? She plays piano, plays baseball, and probably has enough secret admirers to rival Saotome over there!"

"Please stop," Aki whispered. Her plea fell on deaf ears.

"But what if I told you that..." Yoshino trailed off and, with one swift movement, Aki found herself with her back to the wooden floor, her ears ringing. "Our beloved classmate is just a filthy dyke?"

A rising clamor from their classmates. Aki's eyes widened in shock. She had two options; accept what was happening and bear the weight of everyone's jeers or fight back. She glanced at Misao, and got to her feet. She dusted off the back of her blazer and adjusted her bangs, her steely gaze directed at Yoshino. "Are you really going here?" she asked. "Don't tell me you're still pissed about Tohma and Misao. Or is it Tohma and Saotome now?" Aki turned towards the blonde boy in question. "Relax, Kazuki, you'll get your turn."

Dead silence. Aki still maintained her cheerful smile, a sharp contrast to her clenched fists and slightly narrowed eyes. Yoshino was taken aback by the comment.

"Honestly, taking your heartbreak out on others is _so_ pathetic. Going as far as you have is an entirely different manner." She took a step towards the delinquent, not once blinking. Yoshino felt a bead of sweat on her forehead ( _just what the hell is this girl's problem?_ ) and she stepped back. A beat of silence passed and Aki reached up, lowering her voice to barely a whisper. "Do we need to have another talk, Kazuki?"

"N-no."

"Then sit down and stop wasting my time."

The door slid open and Mr. Sohta walked in, a charismatic yet exasperated smile on his face. "Sorry for being late," he said, resting a stack of papers on the teacher's podium. "I swear, these staff meetings just never end!"

A light round of giggles from the class. Yoshino took the opportunity to walk back to her desk, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Aki sat down as well, taking care to readjust her hair.

_08:09 - Misao_  
_Is it true?_

_08:10_  
_Yeah_

_08:10 - Misao_  
_It's okay. I won't judge you._

_08:10_  
_(ノ*゜▽゜*)_

♡

Precisely one week and three days afterwards, Yoshino disappeared. Any attempts to call her cell phone led straight to voicemail. None of her classmates knew where she had gone. Her parents never saw her come home. The police launched an investigation pursuing the possibility of a kidnapper living in the district, but couldn't find any cases to match their hypothesis. They had no reason to suspect foul play, and thus did not interrogate the staff and students anymore than they initially had.

The following January, the case was dropped altogether. It was a bittersweet moment for everyone who had been manipulated, harassed, or assaulted by Yoshino; they were happy that the torment had come to an end, but they didn't want this outcome. In an idealistic world (or a shoujo manga), the delinquent would have redeemed herself and shown that she had a heart of gold lying underneath.

Nobody harassed Misao. Nobody harassed Aki. Their days continued in peace as they studied together, snuck off to the music room, and wandered the streets of their district for stray cats and vendors. If anything had changed about their school life, people had begun to be afraid of Aki. There was an edge to her personality that unnerved everyone; one that came out when Yoshino had provoked her. Beyond her cute, cheerful exterior was something a tad more callous.

The façade entirely dropped as the first thaw of spring arrived. Aki seemed to grow a little more withdrawn, a little more preoccupied with... something. She never exactly explained what was bothering her, no matter how many times Misao had prodded for an answer.

"What's wrong?" the shorter girl would ask, likely in the middle of reading a book.

"I'm fine," Aki would respond, "just..." Her favorite response was that she was tired, followed by she had something on her mind and she felt conflicted. Misao was sure that all three statements were true to some extent. She let the conversation drop at that, occasionally reminding the redheaded girl that she could talk to her if she wanted to.

♡

Four months passed with no sign of Yoshino's whereabouts. Rumors started to escalate; she ran away from home, she was murdered, she was abducted, she got caught up in shady activity. As the third year of high school began for the others, though, she slowly faded into nothing more than an unpleasant memory. All mentions of her were slowly replaced with the dreaded discussions of universities and career paths. At this point, most people knew what they wanted to do with their lives after they graduated. The same couldn't be said for Aki and Misao.

"So," Misao had said during a studying session, "what are you going to do after you graduate?"

A beat of silence, followed by that uncharacteristic expression she had gotten used to. Aki sighed, tracing random shapes over the pages of her calculus textbook. "I don't know. What about you?"

"I really don't know either, but... I think you should study music theory."

"Really?"

Misao nodded. "You've always looked so passionate when we were in the music room. I think you'd be really happy studying it."

"I'll... keep that in mind. Thank you, Misao." A beat of silence passed, and the dark-haired girl spoke again.

"Hey, Aki?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I watch you play baseball some day?"

There was a pause. "Sure. You can watch me practice after school."


	5. Chapter 5

Misao would be lying if she said she only saw Aki as a friend. In the past year, Aki had become a sort of protector, shielding the dark-haired girl from everyone that would try to hurt her, comforting her when all she could do was cry, doing whatever she could to make Misao smile. Aki once said that making others happy was the most important thing in the world to her; now Misao wondered how important she was to the taller girl.

Aki was everything that the shorter girl could only hope to be; she was passionate, ambitious, talented, and popular with others. Whatever she did, she was sure to excel as long as she tried hard enough. She wasn't clumsy or boring. She didn't make bad grades or mess up in common social interactions. People _liked_ Aki.

Misao liked her too. She just couldn't find the words to say it.

♡

Aki playing baseball was an experience that Misao seldom got to witness. The redheaded girl had said she wasn't a professional (not once had she been affiliated with officially organized teams or clubs), and rarely had the time to practice between studying and doing homework. On the occasional weekend, though, she would go to the local batting cage, tightly gripping her bat in gloved hands, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Misao quietly sat on the sidelines, watching the taller girl adjust the return conveyor before stepping back to the plate, her bat hovering just over her left shoulder. Her aim was precise; she rarely, if ever, missed a ball. The loud _crack_ of the wooden bat hitting against leather echoed repeatedly. Misao found herself being legitimately interested. How could Aki be so perfect if she rarely practiced at all?

It occurred to her that she could've just been modest, or had much more free time in her freshman year of high school.

A few moments passed and a faint _whirr_ sounded, followed by a groan of frustration from Aki.

"What's wrong?" Misao called.

"I think the conveyor's jammed again," she responded, laying her bat down. "I'm going to go take a break before I try fixing it." She sat down, reaching for one of the water bottles she brought in her bag. She sighed and rested her head against the criss-crossed wire of the wall, her chest rising and falling with her rapid breathing.

Misao caught herself staring for a moment longer than what was appropriate, and her cheeks flared. A few moments passed and Aki got back to her feet, walking back to the conveyor. A few moments passed and she walked back to the plate, bat in hand.

♡

Following her eighteenth birthday, Aki had moved out into a nearby apartment complex, and Misao moved in with her shortly after. Though it was small, and they had to keep most of their belongings in plastic bins and drawers, it was comfortable enough for the two of them and close enough to local universities that they planned to attend. They had no ambitious or overarching plans for the future, so neither of them decided on leaving the prefecture to attend university.

One night, while the air conditioning unit whirred in the background, the two couldn't quite get to sleep; Aki kept complaining of the heat (she preferred colder temperatures despite always wearing long-sleeved shirts) and Misao had something on her mind that wouldn't let her rest ( _just tell her_ ).

"Aki?" she said, her heart skipping a beat. The redhead in question looked up from the wooden floor, her scarlet gaze focused on her roommate.

"Yeah?"

"I have something I need to say, but please don't judge me."

Aki paused and sat up, clearly more attentive. Her expression turned to one of mild concern. "What's up?" she asked. Misao paused and twiddled her thumbs, her eyes focused on the floor.

"This has been on my mind for a while, but..." She took a deep breath. Her voice lowered as she spoke again. "Aki, I think I like you."

In their dimly-lit room, Aki faintly smiled. "I like you too." She later got into bed, centimeters away from the dark-haired girl. Misao shyly blushed in the dark, nuzzling closer to the taller girl. Aki rested an arm across her torso, holding her close.

♡

One week later, Yoshino's body was found buried in the back of school grounds. The official cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma to the head. The murder weapon was hypothesized to be a baseball bat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "On the other hand, [Aki] does have a dark side, as she has no problem committing murder herself."  
> "The creator of _Misao_ himself briefly states in the Rec Room that Aki may be a demon."
> 
> :)


End file.
